


none so blind

by hjea



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:26:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hjea/pseuds/hjea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing says ~romance~ in the Star Wars universe like temporary blindness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	none so blind

Rey sat ramrod straight on the bench in medical, barely moving as the light pressure of Dr. Kalonia’s hand left her shoulder. “Well?” Rey asked, her voice carefully steady. 

“It won’t be permanent.” Rey barely swallowed down her gulp of relief. “But I believe it will be at least a few more hours before your sight returns completely.” The doctor’s voice retreated as she moved away from Rey, and Rey turned her head with it, tracking Kalonia as she walked briskly to the far wall. “It’s always difficult to give an exact timeline with these kinds of injuries.” Her voice moved again until she was standing in front of Rey once more. “I’m going to give you an injection just in case. Are you ready?” Rey nodded, and felt the warm steadiness of the doctor’s gloved fingers against her arm, and then the cool brush of antiseptic before the sharp sting from the hypodermic. She fought a brief impulse to turn her head away, which was absurd. It wasn’t like she could see the needle to turn from. 

“All done.” There was a smile in Dr. Kalonia’s voice, followed by the sound of the needle dropping in bio disposal unit. “Now young Jedi,” her voice turned sharp and professional, “I suggest we get someone to take you somewhere safe and out of the way, and you rest those eyes. Probably best if you just get to your bed and sleep for a few hours, as long as someone can stay with you.” 

“Sleep?” Rey made a face. “But it’s barely mid-morning.” 

“Well then I suggest next time you decide to combine flash blindness with a head injury, you do so at the end of the day.” 

“Physical blindness won’t stop you using your senses, Rey.” Master Luke spoke for the first time from his chair near the entrance. “Remember what I told you about using the Force. Reach out. Let it tell you what surrounds you. With practice, it won’t matter what your eyes see or not, you will be completely aware in all directions. In fact,” Luke’s voice turned contemplative, “perhaps this would be the perfect time now to exercise---” 

“Not with a head injury.” Dr. Kalonia interrupted, unruffled but firm. “Rest. Recuperate. Then began your training again once I’ve examined you tomorrow and am _fully_ convinced you're well enough.” 

Luke made a noise that Rey interpreted as a good-natured concession. “You can still learn to expand your senses through the Force. Concentrate, Rey.” 

Rey obeyed at once, closing her eyes despite knowing better, and pushed the headache throbbing at her temples to the edges of her awareness. She breathed in deeply. The shape of the room slowly formed around her, building up on all sides. Dr. Kalonia stood two feet away, arms crossed and watching her carefully, and Master Luke still sat in his hair. He suddenly pulled an apple from his sleeve and began to toss it from hand to hand. Rey turned her head and followed its progress, and Luke nodded and contentedly took a bite, obviously satisfied. 

It wasn’t like seeing. There were no features to make out, or details of light or colour or texture, to distinguish Dr. Kalonia from Luke. She simply knew who they were and where they were because… they were. Just as she knew the shape of the bench she sat on, the medical equipment pushed against the wall, and the bustle of the staff as they saw to their patients in other rooms. The thrum of the Force surrounding each person and every object was unique and connected, and the understanding reached Rey, warm and welcoming, like an offered hand.

Rey frowned suddenly. “Finn?” 

Finn appeared in the door a moment later, slightly out of breath and radiating concern. “Poe said he saw Master Skywalker leading you to medical.” He stepped through the door toward her, before hesitating under Kalonia and Luke’s curious gazes. “Er.” He swung his hands around his body uncertainly. “Are you okay?” 

“Fine.” Rey sighed philosophically. “Just kriffing blind.” 

“Temporarily blind.” Dr. Kalonia clarified, as Finn swung around to face her, mouth agape in confusion. “It will come back, but Rey needs rest for that to happen, and she also needs someone to keep watch to ensure she doesn’t worsen or hurt herself further.” Rey sensed the doctor’s warm interest focus on Finn. “Care to volunteer?” 

“No. he doesn’t have--” Rey protested, over Finn’s eager, “Of course!” 

Rey huffed. “Finn, I’m really fine.” She assured her friend. “And you have work assignment!” 

Finn scoffed. “It’s just building intelligence files on more First Order weaponry, it’s not urgent. You’re far more important. It’s my half day anyway, I would have been off in two hours. And it’s not like Master Skywalker can stay with you, he’s got like twelve meetings today.” 

Luke chuckled in amusement. “Perhaps not quite twelve.” 

Before Rey could speak again, Dr. Kalonia pulled up her console pad and typed a few sentences. “There,” she addressed Finn, “I’ve told your team you’re on medical assignment for the rest of the day.” Finn nodded seriously, his body straightening in pride at the responsibility. Dr. Kalonia turned her attention back to Rey. “And you: get a bit of food, go to bed, rest. I’ll see you tomorrow. All right?” 

“All right.” Rey acquiesced, trying not to let her voice seem too defeated. She hopped down from the bench nimbly, turning to face Luke as he rose gracefully to his feet and reached toward her to clasp her shoulder. “I’m sorry again, Rey.” 

Rey shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Master. It was mine.” 

“Perhaps.” Luke’s voice was threaded through with kindness and sadness, as it always seemed to Rey, and he squeezed her shoulder once and dropped his hand. “But I am all the same. Listen to the doctor. Be safe. We’ll resume tomorrow.” He turned and left the room quietly, followed after by Kalonia. 

Finn stood regarding her, obvious confusion warring with relief in his frame. “You know, you seem a lot less… blind, for someone who’s been blinded.” Rey remained still as he bent slightly, moving his face to look directly into hers. “You are though, I can tell that your eyes aren’t focused anywhere.” He moved his hand back and forth in front of Rey, and she raised her own and mirrored its movements exactly. 

“Yeah, that’s very weird. This is a Jedi thing, isn’t it?” 

Rey let herself smile, lopsided but sincere, for the first time that morning. “Yes, it’s a Jedi thing.” 

“Guess you don’t need me to take your hand then.” Finn wiggled his fingers one last time and then began to lower his hand. 

Rey reached out and caught it. “No.” She threaded her fingers through his. “But I don’t mind.” 

\--

The headache Rey had pushed to the side did not allow her to forget about it for long, and soon began warring with her ability to concentrate on using the Force. As they wound their way through the Resistance base, Rey let go of more of the vision, eventually needing to stop and tuck her arm more firmly into Finn’s elbow to prevent her walking into anything. 

“Do you want to get some food first?” 

Rey made a face. “No, I’m not hungry. If you just take me back to my bunk I’ll hide there until this is all over with.” 

“Well now I know you are hurt.” Finn sounded like he didn’t know whether to be amused or worried, and landed somewhere between each. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you turn down food before.” 

“Shut up.” Rey knocked her shoulder against his half-heartedly, and then winced when the movement jostled her head more than intended. “I’m just tired all of a sudden. I’d rather sleep.” With a sudden scowl she asked, “Do you think Dr. Kalonia put a sedative in my medication without telling me?” 

“Sure. Or you have a head injury and this is your body telling you to get some rest. Which I have been assigned to see that you do.” Finn tugged her gently in the direction of the living quarters. “Come on.” 

\--

By the time Finn keyed open Rey’s door she was yawning at a near constant rate, and half-stumbling in weariness and the confusing blur of nothingness around her. She summoned up just enough of the Force to stop herself from walking into a wall in the tiny space of the bunk, and barely waited for the door to slide shut behind them before she stripped out of the outer layers of her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and crawled into her bed. 

“You don’t have to turn around, Finn,” Rey sighed wearily and pulled the blankets up to her chin. 

“Sorry,” he let out a bashful chuckle and Rey felt him turn back to face her before she let go of the vision completely, giving into darkness and the headache throbbing against her skull. Finn shuffled around for a minute before she felt him perch at the end of her bed. 

“It’s still so weird that you can do that--see with the force.” 

“Well not right now,” Rey admitted with another wide yawn. “S’too much effort. And it’s not exactly like seeing.” 

“No?” Finn asked curiously. “What’s it like?” 

“It’s more like feeling, or just knowing exactly where things are… almost like a memory.” Rey shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t explain it very well.” 

“No, don’t worry about it. I probably shouldn’t ask questions when you’re hurt anyway. Get some sleep, Rey. I’ll watch out for you.” 

Rey burrowed down into her pillow and closed her eyes. “I understand why it would be important for a Jedi to master, but it’s not a replacement, Finn. There’s no details or beauty or anything. And there’s no faces. I miss faces.” Her words slurred together as exhaustion took over. 

“You’ll see faces again, Rey.” Finn’s fingers stroked her temple in the lightest of caresses, “I promise.” 

\--

Rey blinked awake, confused and disorientated until the fuzzy shapes swimming in front of her eyes resolved into something recognizable. She realized she was lying on her side, back pressed against the wall, and Finn was facing her, laying half-on and half-off the bed and breathing deeply in and out in sleep. Rey smiled and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes to see if she could bring the scene any more into focus. 

The movement woke Finn with a start. “Sorry! I only meant to rest my eyes.” He pulled back, half sitting up before he could even have been fully awake and then stopped suddenly, and leaned in again to study Rey’s face. 

“Rey?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Can you see again?” 

“Maybe.” Rey squinted, tilting her head against the pillow. “At least I’m definitely starting to.”

Before she could think better of it, she reached out and traced the lines of Finn’s face with her fingertips, moving up from his chin to the full curve of his lips and across the roundness of his cheeks as the features focused into familiarity in the wake of her touch. Finn grinned, and she could just make out the flash of his teeth in the dim light. “Hi,” she breathed out in relief. 

“Hi. You can see faces again.” 

Rey nodded, and closed and opened her eyes, feeling more relaxing further as Finn appeared clearer each time she did. “I’m glad it’s your face I see first. It’s my favourite.” 

Rey froze, cheeks burning as she realized what she had said out loud, but Finn only grinned at her wider. “Really?” He kept his voice low with so little space between them, but she could hear the delight in it. “Yours is mine.” 

“Oh.” Rey was sure she was turning even pinker, but she couldn’t look away, too happy to be lying nearly nose-to-nose with her best friend and basking in the warmth of a smile that was meant just for her. 

Finn pushed another piece of hair back from her forehead. “Do you want to get up? Get something to eat now?” 

“Not quite yet.” Rey curled her hands into Finn’s shirt, tugging him closer insistently until he toed off his boots with a fond roll of his eyes and joined her fully on the bed. “I could sleep a bit more. Couldn’t you?” 

“I could sleep more,” Finn agreed with a nod, chin brushing gently against her forehead. He yawned, and shut his eyes. “I’m happy you can see again, Rey,” he murmured. 

Rey brushed her lips against his eyelids. “Me too.” And she watched him until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no medical expertise, so I tried to be vague enough about Rey's injuries to make them seem somewhat plausible. Apologies if it was totally out to lunch! But hey, any excuse for cuddling, right?


End file.
